I have a 35 gallon uncharred unused I believe French oak barrel a winemaking friend gave me. I was thinking of taking the dregs of any Cantillion, 3F,Etc bottles in hopes to make an environment for spontaneous fermentation but with Belgium's good bugs. Would this work? Should I sanitize the barrel first and would I need to add some starter wort to the barrel to get the dregs to start living?
Making a Belgium Barrel
- Thread starter Steve3730
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I would treat them for an extended time to remove the tannins.
I have two 60 gallon barrels that were used for wine. I made a batch of a semi-strong saison and placed it in. Let it ferment and age for about 2 years. I tasted it on it's journey and from the first month after fermentation - about 6 months later, and the oak taste was prominent. A year later it tasted like whiskey, another year and it was a nice "light whiskey".
Citric acid and sodium bisulfate treatment. You can store with sulfur, but I wouldn't. But you can.
I have two 60 gallon barrels that were used for wine. I made a batch of a semi-strong saison and placed it in. Let it ferment and age for about 2 years. I tasted it on it's journey and from the first month after fermentation - about 6 months later, and the oak taste was prominent. A year later it tasted like whiskey, another year and it was a nice "light whiskey".
Citric acid and sodium bisulfate treatment. You can store with sulfur, but I wouldn't. But you can.
